Rangers Sink Pirates' Ship with Walk-Off Win

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

August 21, 2024

Rangers 1, Pirates 0

ARLINGTON, Texas (Aug 21) — The Texas Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1–0, in their series finale in walk-off fashion on Wednesday. Wyatt Langford sent the crowd of 28,707 home happy with his walk-off single in the ninth inning. This victory snaps a skid of seven consecutive series losses for the Rangers, as they have claimed this three-game set with two wins. From here, they will embark on a six-game road trip, starting with three against the Cleveland Guardians. The Rangers will have an off-day before beginning that series on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm Eastern at Progressive Field. Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (8–7, 3.76 ERA) will get the ball for the Rangers, while the Guardians have yet to announce their starting pitcher for the opening contest.

The Pirates, meanwhile, will head back to Pittsburgh to take on the Cincinnati Reds in a four-game series. That set will begin on Thursday evening with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 pm Eastern at PNC Park. Lefty Nick Lodolo (9–5, 4.55 ERA) will toe the slab for the Reds, while flamethrower Paul Skenes (7–2, 2.30 ERA) will take the hill for the Pirates.

Scoreless through Eight and Change

Both teams played hot potato with a giant zero for most of the afternoon. The real excitement didn’t begin until the bottom of the ninth with the scoreless tie looming over the roof at Globe Life Field. With reliever David Bednar on the mound for the Bucs, Jonah Heim led off the frame with an infield single that slipped out of the hands of Isiah Kiner-Falefa at second. Ezequiel Duran entered the game as a pinch-runner for Heim. Up next was Adolis Garcia, who nudged Duran over to second with a single to left. Duran made it to third when Nathaniel Lowe lined to right.

With one out, Garcia swiped second for his 11th steal of the season. On deck was Josh Jung, who struck out swinging, releasing a very loud groan from the crowd. Up next was Langford, who had his big moment with a single to center that drove in Duran for the winning run. The single was Langford’s second career walk-off hit. He also had a walk-off single on July 22 against the Chicago White Sox. Langford’s performance on Wednesday accounted for the lone run of the game as part of a two-hit day. He also singled in the second inning. Langford is the first Rangers rookie to record multiple walk-off plate appearances in the same season since García in 2021. He has hits in four of his last five games with three RBI.

What Went Right for the Rangers

The spark that the Rangers’ offense had in the ninth was big, and Langford’s walk-off hit was even bigger. A lot of the credit goes to the bullpen in this one as well. They put four zeros on the board starting in the sixth inning. It’s also worth noting that reliever David Robertson struck out Bryan De La Cruz in the top of the eighth for his 1,133rd strikeout as a reliever. That ties him with Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman for 13th on the all-time list.

What Went Wrong for the Rangers

Rangers pitchers weaved in and out of trouble all day on Wednesday. That was really the only bit of adversity they faced. As a staff they allowed eight hits and two walks. It really was commendable how they kept getting outs when they needed them. This writer compares it to watching a magic act. As U2 once put it, there was slight of hand and twist of faith.

The Rangers left seven runners on base and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Additionally, prior to the ninth inning, they only had three runners even reach scoring position.

Good Effort by Heaney

Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney did not factor into Wednesday’s decision, despite firing five scoreless innings and fanning eight. His final line was 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 90 pitches/58 strikes. Heaney worked out of bases-loaded jams in the second and fifth innings by inducing a ground-ball double play and strikeout, respectively. He held Pirates hitters 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Heaney produced a season-high 22 swing-and-miss strikes Wednesday, the second-highest single-game total by a Rangers pitcher this season. Nathan Eovaldi had 13 on April 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

His 303 swings and misses this season are a club high. Heaney has racked up eight or more strikeouts in consecutive starts for the first time since August 18 to September 5, 2022. The southpaw has a 3.60 ERA in 11 starts at Globe Life Field this year, including a 1.75 mark over his last five at Globe Life Field.

Closer Kirby Yates earned his fifth win of the season on Wednesday after tossing a perfect ninth with two strikeouts. He now owns a record of 5–2 with an ERA of 1.30.

German’s Afternoon

Like Heaney, Pirates starter Domingo German also took a no-decision on Wednesday. He twirled six scoreless innings in his first start of the season. His line was 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K, 75 pitches/46 strikes. On Wednesday, he became the first Pirates pitcher to toss six or more scoreless frames in his first start for the club since Joe Musgrove on May 25, 2018 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Germán has posted a 1.50 ERA across four appearances and one start for the Pirates since his contract was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis on August 9.

After surrendering the winning run in the ninth, Bednar took the loss for the Pirates. His record now sits at 3–6 with an ERA of 5.68.

Bochy’s Postgame Comments

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy reflected on Heaney’s start after the game. “Good stuff. Location. Poise, which he usually has with men on base,” Bochy said of Heaney. “The record’s not indicative of how he’s been throwing the ball. We just haven’t been able to get much for him at the plate. Hopefully that will change soon.”

Heaney’s Postgame Comments

Heaney also made an appearance in the interview room after the game to discuss his day. He noted the situation he’s been in this season as it pertains to run support, but he also accepts that those things are out of his control. “You can say what you want about the offense and all that, but if you don’t go five innings, you don’t get a win,” Heaney said. “There have been plenty of times I haven’t gone five innings, haven’t qualified. Would I love to have a 10-0 lead on every single game? Sure, but that’s just not a realistic thing. So for me, it’s just trying to pitch to the situation of the game and do the best I can to let the game kind of dictate what I need to do.”